Our beautifully classic wedding today was sent to us by our bride, Nathalie, who married Jamie in September at an elegant and traditional Church wedding in Chobham. The ceremony took place at St Lawrence Church followed by a relaxed and intimate reception with dinner and dancing in a marquee located in the bride's grandmother's fields.
Nathalie wore Suzanne Neville's Nouveau wedding dress, which she wore with chic, timeless accessories and a relaxed updo for effortless bridal style.
Read on to find out more about this wonderful Surrey wedding day.
Suzanne Neville Nouveau wedding dress
I chose Suzanne Neville’s Nouveau which I absolutely loved. A friend of mine wore a Suzanne Neville dress in 2015 and since then I always knew I wanted to wear one too. All her dresses are so beautiful made and feel amazing on. The Nouveau dress is very original with a pleated skirt yet very simple and elegant. The neckline across the shoulders is very flattering too. I was worried about not being able to use my arms properly in our first dance but the team at Miss Bush were amazing and made sure this wasn’t a problem. I wish I could wear it again! I was thinking about hosting a party one year with all my married friends where we all wear our wedding dresses.
My parents live abroad so I decided to take my granny with me dress shopping which was very special. I wanted to keep the dress a surprise from as many guests as possible including my bridesmaids. Their reaction when they saw my dress for the first time on the wedding day was priceless and our wonderful photographer, Elle from Winnington and Coe, caught the shot on camera.
Dress Shopping
Going to the Chapel and trying on all the Suzanne Neville dresses was my highlight. All her dresses are amazing and I couldn’t think of a better venue to try them on. The Chapel is very unique and so different to any of the other bridal stores I visited. Emma was extremely helpful throughout the whole process and encouraged me to try on lots of different styles before I made my final decision.
All the staff I dealt with at Miss Bush were so incredibly helpful and friendly. I was worried about how I was going to have my dress fitted with a full time job but they were able to offer weekend and evening slots. Once I purchased my wedding shoes, I wanted to make sure they went with the dress I had chosen and Miss Bush were extremely accommodating allowing me to come back and try my dress on as many times as I wanted.
Styling
I wanted to keep my look fairly simple and not take anything away from my dress. I chose a 2 tier ribbon edged veil however didn’t end up wearing it over my face. I borrowed some dangly diamond and emerald earrings and a matching bracelet from my Grandmother. Shoes - I wore sparkly Jimmy Choos. I ummed and ahhed whether to spend a huge amount of money on my wedding shoes considering you can hardly see them but I loved them so it was totally worth it. I went for sparkly rather than white so I could wear them again after the wedding and have worn them at several black tie events already! I love wearing them as it brings back so many happy memories.
A traditional church wedding in Chobham
I always wanted a traditional church wedding followed by a reception in a marquee. The church is special to me as it is the same church where is Grandfather’s memorial took place, where my brother and I were christened and where my aunt got married. The fields, where the reception took place, have been owned by my grandmother for many years and are opposite their old house which sadly she had to sell a few years before the wedding took place. By having a marquee wedding it gave us more flexibility to style the day as we wanted it and organise our preferred caterers for example rather than relying on the venue for this. Jamie’s mother very conveniently is an incredible florist so was key to making the marquee and surrounds look as amazing as they did on the day.
The best bits
I loved every second of our wedding day. Everyone says it is the best day of your life and this is true! Walking down the aisle with my dad, seeing Jamie waiting for me and looking around the church at all my friends and family smiling is something I will never forget. I thought I was going to be really nervous walking into the church and saying the vows but in fact I was more nervous at the rehearsal then on the day itself. We were so fortunate that all our suppliers were amazing and that everything went to plan on the day. Our caterers, McCrimmon and Reid produced the most delicious food. Quite a few guests mentioned it was the best wedding food they had ever had. Our Band, The Alleycatz, were amazing too. They did an acoustic set during the champagne reception and then lots of classics after dinner which really got the party going.
We hosted a lunch the next day which I absolutely loved. It was such fun speaking to everyone and hearing all their favourite bits. Barney at Tin Roof Kitchen produced the most delicious pizzas from his 1956 Dodge Pickup which was very much needed after a long day partying.
Nathalie's Advice
Try on lots of different styles as you may be surprised with what you like. I wouldn’t have imagined going for dress that had a pleated skirt however as soon as I tried it on I knew it was the one. Trust the professionals at Miss Bush. They really know what they are talking about.
The planning can be stressful at times but try and enjoy it as the build up is half the fun. We hired a wedding coordinator to be there on the day to deal with any issues and make sure the day was running to the schedule. Lucy Jean was amazing and I highly recommend this to future brides as it took away any unnecessary stress and allowed us to enjoy the day fully.
On the day make sure you take 5 mins with your new Husband to just look around the room and take it all in. The whole day goes by so quickly.
Suppliers
Photographer: Winnington & Coe
Caterer: McCrimmon & Reid
Sunday Food Van: Tin Roof Kitchen
Hair and Makeup: CLJ London
Florist: Groom’s Mother, Jeanie Hirsch
Bridesmaid’s dresses: JJ’s House
Flower Girl’s Dresses: Ghost
Security: WH Management Group
Videographer: India Inc
Marquee: Claremont Marquees
Wedding Coordinator: Weddings by Lucy Jean
Wedding Cake: Etoile Bakery
Band: The Alleycatz
Bus: Alpha Bus Ltd
Stationery: Gee Brothers
Wedding Gift List: The Wedding Present Company